As many as 31 civilians lost their lives last month as a result of the suffocating siege imposed by the Syrian regime and its Lebanese Hezbollah allies on Madaya. According to the medical office in the town, 23 civilians, mostly children and the elderly, died of starvation while eight others were killed by forces loyal to the regime. A further six people have had limbs amputated after stepping on mines planted by the army and militia. Dozens more have been killed by mines as they tried to smuggle food into the town.
How Yarmouk came about: Israel’s unabashed role in the Syrian refugee crisis
The Syrian regime and Hezbollah are accused of lacking commitment to the terms of the Zabadani-al-Fouah agreement which provides for the entry of humanitarian aid to Madaya. This, it is alleged, is the direct cause of the disaster that has befallen its residents. Local activists have appealed to the international community to intervene and put pressure on the Syrian regime to allow aid in. More deaths will follow if aid is not allowed in soon, they added. In the meantime, they pointed out, people are being forced to run the gauntlet of landmines and Hezbollah snipers in order to try to get humanitarian relief into the town.
Madaya is controlled by opposition forces and the humanitarian situation has deteriorated so rapidly that residents are forced to boil and eat herbs and scan rubbish tips for leftovers. Opposition groups reached an agreement with an Iranian delegation last September for a ceasefire to allow the wounded and families from the villages of Kefraya and Foua to leave.
Agencies
